Dark Secrets
by R8c4a3l
Summary: Draco and Hermione are completely different. They hate eachother right from the beginning, but emotions can be misleading and a fine line once crossed can never be re-drawn...Non canon pairings and possibly M for future chapters.
1. Dark Secrets, Prologue

**DIS****CLAIMER = I own nothing. J. is the author; I am a humble fan fiction writer. I do not claim the characters or Rowling's original story. = DISCLAIMER**

**Read. Review. Enjoy.**

_"My only love sprung from my only hate, Too early seen, unknown, and known too late, Prodigious birth of love it is to me, That I must love a loathed enemy..."_ The soothing voice of Jean Granger lilted heavenly as she read those famous words. She sighed happily finishing the scene and looked down at the little girl tucked into her side.

_"Mummy?_"

"_Yes Hermione?"_

_"How can you love someone you hate. I couldn't imagine loving Kevin Dillian, he's horrible" _the little girl made a disgusted face, which Jean could only laugh at. Her daughter was extremely smart and could grasp the understanding of problems that even she had trouble with; this particular problem could only be learned with age.

_"You'll understand when your older. Just remember, 'there's a fine line between love and hate'. Your a smart girl, you'll figure it out" _Jean kissed her seven year old daughter on the forehead and tucked her into bed, smoothing down the bushy brown hair that promised to turn into soft curls as she grew; just as it had done with Jean. _"Goodnight Mione, sweet dreams" _

_"Goodnight mummy, I love you"_

_"Love you too" _Jean left, leaving the door slightly open, the way her daughter liked it.

_******************  
_(Malfoy manor)

_"Draco!" _Narcissa Malfoy the blonde vixen shouted in shock, her little boy almost crying in the doorway. _"Baby, whats wrong? Come here" _she said patting the bed._  
_

_"I had a bad dream" _he wimpered quietly. Lucius-Draco's father-turned over to face his wife and son sleepily.

_"What's wrong?" _he yawned peering at his heir, as his mother placed the boy on her lap.

_"He had a bad dream, dear" _

_"Was it the demetor again?" _he asked his son. Lucius didn't blame him, Draco was seven and those Dementor's terrified even the most evil of men. Draco just nodded and curled into his mother trying to hide in her warmth. Lucius reached over, grabbed his wand, cast Lumos and sat up against his headboard. Narcissa lent back into him, summoned the 'tales of beedle the bard' and settled Draco comfortably in her lap. The Malfoy's were considered dark wizards and pureblood elitest, but in the subtle glow of Lucius's wand and the privacy of their manor, they were simply a mother, father and son.

_"A long time ago, in a land far far away, a king decided to keep all the magic in the world for himself..."_ Lucius immediantly drifts back off to sleep-his arms wraped protectivly around his wife and son. Narcissa carried on into the night, amusing her little boy with the tales of 'Babbitty Rabbitty and her cackling stump'. Draco engrossed in the sound of his mothers voice fell swiftly off into a dreamless sleep.

***Prologue, I thought it was cute :P xx**


	2. Dark Secrets, The Letter

**DIS****CLAIMER = I own nothing. J. is the author; I am a humble fan fiction writer. I do not claim the characters or Rowling's original story. = DISCLAIMER**

**Read. Review. Enjoy.**

******************  
(Granger, Hogwarts Letter)

The soft summer morning light, shone through the slight gaps in-eleven year old-Hermione Grangers curtains. The shafts of light danced across her flawless skin and steadily grew bright enough to wake the sleeping girl. It was the first day of the summer holidays, meaning she was completely allowed to turn back over and hide underneath her duvet. But thats not Hermione Granger.

The eleven year old girl sat up tiredly, stretching before sliding off of her bed and change into her jogging clothes. Hermione and her father had gone running every Saturday and Sunday morning since before she could remember. Her parents were health freaks, given that they were both dentists and believed completely in 'clean body, clean soul'.

Hermione walked into her bathroom and grabbed a brush to try and tame her wild hair. Looking into the mirror above her sink, Hermione couldn't see anything special. She used to be teased about her large front teeth, but one day when she was younger they just shrunk to a nomal size. Her parents said she'd just grown into them, but Hermione wasn't so sure. Hermiome had a cute button nose, almond shaped eys and her mother said rose petal lips. All this was detracted away from the bushiness of her light brown hair, it had calmed over the years settling from an almost afro to big frizzy curls, but it did nothing to complinment her face. Hermione settled with tying it into a tight pony tail, brushing her teeth and going to meet her parents in the kitchen.

_"Morning sweets" _Mr. Ian Granger greeted his daughter cheerfully, while pulling on his trainers at the kithen table. Jean Granger was busy bustling around the kitchen starting breakfast for when they got back. Hermione hugged her mother and patted her father on the head mockingly, Ian threw her an amused glare and continued tying his laces.

_"Morning Mum. Come on Dad hurry up, I'd like to get back preferably before lunch" _she teased him, filling two small water bottles for their jog.

_"Come on munchkin, see you when we get back love" _Ian called to his wife, leading their daughter out the back door and off through the estate until they reached the big park close to their house. Hermione and Ian always lapped the field 5 times before calling it quits and heading home. The morning was crisp and enviting, the sky a clear blue and painted with the different colours of the sunrise. The park was completely quiet other life wouldn't be seen for at least another hour, so for now the morning belonged to Hermione and her father.

On the last lap of the football size field, Hermione decided to race her father. She kept pretty good pace for her size; him being 3 heads taller than her. She only lagged behind by about six meters and overall not bad for an eleven year old.

_"How was the run, you two?" _Jean asked politely upon spying her husband and daughter through the open back kitchen window.

_"Good, Mione's getting pretty fast" _Ian beemed at his little girl, who smiled her thousand watt smile at the compliment.

_"Mione there's a letter for you on the kitchen table" _

_"Who's it from?" _Hermione questioned while playing with the parchment letter inbetween her fingers. When knownone answered, she flicked over the letter and swiftly tore out the paper inside.

**Dear Hermione Jean Granger**

**We are pleased to inform you, you have been accepted into Hogwarts School for witchcraft and wizardry. A Professor from the school will be stopping by your house at 9 o'clock to explain your situationa and everything you will need to know before entering the magical world. We expect your confirmation owl, no later than the 20****th**** August.  
School begins on the 1****st**** September, please arrive at platform 9 ¾ promptly, as the train to Hogwarts leaves precisely at 11 o'clock. Your supplies list is on a separate letter inside. We look forward to meeting you. **

**Yours Sincerely, **

**Headmaster Dumbledore**

Hermione read the baffling letter over and over again, trying to understand what the words were telling her. She even read it allowed one time for her parents, who instead of looking confused, seem to relax and look like a great question had just been answered.

_"What does it mean? Is this a joke?" _she questioned her parents and the sanity within herself.

_"Ian! Its almost nine" _Jean shrieked suddenly and began hurrying around the kitchen, cleaning up the dirty plates and generally making the place immaculate. Hermione watched in amazement as her mother moved faster then she would have thought possible. Ian and his daughter shared a worried glance before quickly running upstairs to change out of their sweaty clothes.

The same question kept running around Hermione's mind like a bad song. 'What on earth was going on?'. Literally seconds before the clock struck nine the Grangers managed to seat themselves heavily onto the leather sofa; in hte living room. Only to be shocked into standing as the door bell echoed throughout the medium sized terraced house.

Jean sprinted for the front door and swung the door open to reveal a stern looking woman staring at her calculatingly.

_"Are you Mrs. Granger? Mother of Hermione Granger?" _the woman asked, an air of strictness rolling off of her in waves. Jean gulped and nodded her head, unable to find her voice. _"May I come in?"_ That seemed to wake her up.

_"Of course, of course. Come right in, make yourself at home. Hermione and her father are in the living room, follow me" _Jean lead the stern woman into her house and told her to take her seat. The three Grangers squashed onto the two seater sofa and looked expectantly at the foreign woman in the armchair oposite them.

"_Well, I take it Hermione recieved her letter this morning?-_she asked already knowing the answer-"_I am Professor McGonagall, Head of Gryfindor house and Deputy headmistress. I suppose you may have some question about the letter. But please allow me to finish before asking any questions. Your daughter, Hermione Jean Granger is a witch. You may have noticed her do strange and unexplainable things over the years, it was simply a case of accidental magic which is common among young witches and wizards. The magic is usually trigured when the child is feeling either angry or sad_, _nothing to be worried about. Hermione, is what we refer to in the magical world as a muggle born; a child born to non-magical parent.  
_

_ The magical world is kept secret from your world because throughout history your kind has come to hate what it does not understand. It is better if we, the magical world, is left alone for this reason."-_the three Grangers nodded in understanding at the Professors explanation-"_Your daughter will be one of the many, young muggle borns attending Hogwarts school for witchcraft and wizardry this September. We are a boarding school, children are allowed to come home over the major holidays such as Christmas, Easter and the Summer Holidays. If your daughter chooses to attend, she will be a first year and expected to complete her education until 7th year or her 17th birthday." _Professor Mcgonagall stopped to breath and indicated for the Granger's to ask their questions.

_"Where is this school?" _Ian asked, not entirely sure about sending his only daughter off to a boarding school for magical people.

_"It is hidden by magic up in the North of England. I'm sorry I'm unable to give you a better location, but it is for the saftey of the students." _

_"Why seventeen?" _Jean said referring to age, Hermione could quit her education.

_"It is the age you legally become an adult in the wizarding world." _

_"There are other people like me? Who can do strange things..." _Hermione trailed off, she had just been told that she wasn't insane, she wasn't a freak. To the magical world she was normal.

_"Magic. Yes many other people like you. __But that doesn't mean that our world is any easier than the non-magical world. You will still be expected to study and work to the best of your ability"_ Hermione could tell why the Professor was the Deputy Headmistress, she had the power to command without even trying.

_"What kind of job would Hermione be able to achieve in the future, with this type of education?" _Ian asked ever the logicall one. He couldn't imagine Hermione making a good living as a magician for children's parties.

_"We have similar jobs to that of your world. Our Doctors are called Healers and Policemen are called Auror's and we had a Ministry of magic if Hermione would like to go into politics. There are many other jobs and career choices that Hermione could choose from, but she would learn more about these opportunties during her education. Do you have any more questions?_"McGonagall saked due to the lull in converstation.

Mr and Mrs Granger shared a questioning look before glancing at their daughter, who was staring at the Professor in wonder. Jean could tell that Hermione was obsessing over what new things she could be learning. Over the years like many married couples the Grangers had developed a sixth sense when making decisions. They both agreed that if Hermione wanted to go, they would support her no matter what.

_"Sweety? Hermione?"_-Jean tried to grab her daughters attention-_"Would you like to go to this school? Your father and I both want you to know that we will support you whatever your decision."_ The Grangers waited with bated breath as their daughter mulled over her choice. Jean could almost see the wheels in Hermione's mind turning.

_"I'd like to attend Hogwarts"_

**********************  
(Malfoy Manor, Hogwarts Letter)

_"Draco wake up. Breakfast will be served in ten minutes" _The sound of Narcissa Malfoy's voice shocked Draco in waking up. He lifted his head involountarily and peered bleery eyed through the gap in the curtains of his bed. Draco just caught the sight of the door clicking shut across his large room before all the light was swallowed by the dark. He smothered his face in his luxoriously soft pillow, groaning loudly at the injustice of being woken up early on the first day of the summer holidays.

The young heir to the ancient and noble house of Malfoy had finally been free'd from his madatory tutoring and being forced to wake up at 7am every morning, for the privalge of sleeping in then to be taken from him. It was only then that Draco realized what day it was. It was the day he was going to get his Hogwarts letter. The first day of the rest of his life.

The thought caused Draco to jump out of bed and sprint to his enormous en-suit bathroom, which was half the size of his actual bedroom. He brushed his-almost white-blonde hair out of his face and tidied it before washing his face and brushing his teetch. He patted the cloth over his pale skin and regal features. Draco almost never had any colour to his skin due to being trapped inside with his studies most days. He grabbed his black wizards robes and quickly dressed before dashing down the stairs almost crashing into Dobby the Malfoy house elf.

Draco slowed upon reaching the bottom of the grand staircase, it wouldn't do for the Heir of the Malfoy fortune to be seen rushing. He walked steadily towards the breakfast room, which un-suprisingly was filled with many friends of the family; all purebloods and all older than Draco.

_"Good Morning Father. Good Morning Mother. Greetings everyone, its wonderful to see you all." _Draco's drills of mannors and etiquet jumped into full swing. It is always important to make a good impression and these were the people that a Malfoy needed to impress.

_"Draco Good Morning"-"Your looking well"-"Such a handsome boy"-"Good to see you", _a chorus of greetings eachoed throughout the room as Draco made his way to stand with his father and mother as was expected. His parents were dressed in expensive black dress robes precisely the same material as the ones Draco had chosen, in his hurry to get down stairs. Thank heaven he had chosen the correct robes.

Dobby suddenly popped into existence besides Mrs. Malfoy and bowed respectably before announcing breakfast was ready. Draco didn't like the house elf because every time he looked at the brusied creature, he felt pity. Draco followed his mother and father into the large breakfast parlor, easily able to fit the family and their many guests. Mr. Malfoy seated himself at the head of the table, Narcissa to his left and Draco to his right. The guest then seating themselves accordingly.

At exactly 9 o'clock a loud screech followed by the blur of Draco's new Eagle owl startled the breakfast party into a hushed silence. Two letters dropped down infront of Draco, before the owl flew off just as fast as it had come. To Draco the silence was deafening as he opened the first letter addressed to him.

**Dear Draco Malfoy  
**

**We are pleased to inform you, you have been accepted into Hogwarts School for witchcraft and wizardry. We expect your confirmation owl, no later than the 20****th**** August.  
School begins on the 1****st**** September, please arrive at platform 9 ¾ promptly, as the train to Hogwarts leaves precisely at 11 o'clock. Your supplies list is on a separate letter inside. We look forward to meeting you. **

**Yours Sincerely, **

**Headmaster Dumbledore**

_"It is my Hogwarts letter, I have been accepted" _Draco addressed his Father but allowing his voice to carry so as everyone else at the table could hear aswell. Of course no one spoke, not until Draco would open his second second letter was different from the first, it was an envelope of thick black parchment and sealed shut with gold wax.

**Master Draco Malfoy**

**You have been accepted to study magic at the noble Durmstrang Academy for boys. Our records are flawless for molding strong independent young men and we require your confirmation owl, no later than the 20th August. Lessons begin on the 1st September, please arrive at the Durmstrang lake at 6am, as the ship will not wait. Your supplies list is on a seperate letter inside. We look forward to teaching you.**

**Your Sincerely**

**Headmaster Egor Karkaroff**

_"I have been accepted to study at Durmstrang Acadmey for boys" _he said the wind almost knocked out of him. This was a tremendous honour Durmstrang hardly ever accepted boys from the British isle's, not even Mr. Malfoy had been offered a place. You could see Lucius puff up at the news of his son's acceptance to both schools, a loud roar of congratulations filled the breakfast room at the news. Draco glanced up at his mother who was sitting stunned behind a serene smile. They shared a look that spoke volumes 'Which school was he going to go to?'

***Hope you like the first chapter. I'll hopefully update soon. **


	3. Dark Secrets, Diagon Alley

**DIS****CLAIMER = I own nothing. J. is the author; I am a humble fan fiction writer. I do not claim the characters or Rowling's original story. = DISCLAIMER**

**Read. Review. Enjoy.**

***************  
**(Malfoy, Diagon Alley)

The Malfoy home, is a handsome manor house surrounded by elaborate gardens, including a fountain and droving white peacocks and enclosed by wrought iron gates that permit select individuals to pass through them as if they were smoke. The interiror is sumptuously decorated and includes ornate furniture, marble fireplaces and gilt mirrors. It has a large entrance hallway with portratis lining the walls and a stone floor mostly covered by a magnificent carpet.

Currently all three Malfoy's were waiting impatiently-in the entrance hall-for Dobby, their house elf, to return with a transaction from the Malfoy vault; at Gringotts. They were to be visiting Diagon Alley, to buy Draco's school supplies. After a long winded discussion Narcissa and Lucius had decided to send their son to Hogwarts, following in their own foot steps.

(The young heir suspected his father was jealous of him for being accepted to Durmstrang, but he couldn't prove it.)

_"Lucius, this is taking too long" _Narcissa commented to her husband, who was constantly looking down at his pocket watch. Draco knew exactly what the underlining message in his mothers comment was. Punishment.

There was that feeling again, Draco rubbed the spot over his heart trying to disloge the pity that had risen like a volcanoe within his chest; threatening to bubble over and voice itself. He had to work quickly to stifle that god awful feeling.

Thirty seconds or so later, Dobby re-appeared beside Mr. Malfoy carrying a large-deep indigo-moneybag, stuffed with coins and other valuable jewels. _"Did you set up my son's trust vault at Gringotts?" _questioned Lucius not bothering to look at the vermin who served his family.

_"Yes master, thats why Dobby is taking so long for" _the disgusting bat eared elf, dressed in a dirty body-covering pillowcase, cowered beside his master. Probably sensing what was about to happen next. _"Dobby is sorry master, Dobby is sorry" _he shrieked as Mr. Malfoy rounded on him and lifted the poor creature up by the scruff of its kneck and threw it against the brick wall. Draco looked on, a blank face of emotions, precisely the one he had learned from his mother.

_"Lucius, we're already running late" _Mrs. Malfoy said before her husband could strike Dobby with another almost fatal blow. Draco was greatful to his mother, he just wanted to leave and the sight of the half unconscious elf with blood trickling in a pool by his head was making Draco feel very...

Mr. Malfoy joined his wife and son and placed a strong cold hand on his son's shoulder, before the gut wrenching feeling of being pulled through an extremely tight space threatened to make Draco pass out. He hated side-along apparation.

They arrived in what Draco recognised immediantly as Knocturn Alley, just outside of a 'Borgin and Burkes'. _"What are we doing here Father? I thought we were going to go get my Hogwarts supplies?" _

_"We are Draco, but first your mother and I have decided to get you something to show our joy_" said Lucius guiding his young heir into Borgin and Burkes. An eerie tinkling bell rang out somwhere in the shop_. "Pick anything you want_" he continued giving Draco a little push.

The small nudge was all Draco needed, he strode off deep into the shop leaving his parents far behind. The blonde boy past dark item after dark item, a hangmans noose, assortments of human bones even a severed hand that was still bleeding. Until he came to dusty pillow, with a silver ring placed on it.

The tag read ___*Signet's ring-Owned once by the powerful wizard Signet in the first Gobblin rebellion, during the seventeenth century. The ring once placed on its new owners finger can not be removed unti said owner is dead. Signet's ring possess the ability to store memories like a pensive and store magic; for a boost in battle.* _

Draco new immediantly that this is what he had been looking for, he inspected the ring. A thick silver band, ornately designed around a large square cut black diamond; it was simple, yet powerful.

_"Good choice, young Mr. Malfoy"-_Draco turned around startled, to see the worn face of Borgin the shopkeeper_-__"that particular ring has been overlooked for its power for quite some time now. I can give you a good deal for it, follow me" _Bogin lead them back through the shop to where Draco's parents were examining a cabinet, they ceased immediantly and turned to greet their son.

Borgin lay they ring down on the shop counter, haggling with Mr. Malfoy over the price for the ring. Eventually the price was settled at 200 galleons and 50 sickles; brought down from the price of 500 galleons Borgin had originally asked for.

Mrs. Malfoy lead the family back through Knocturne Alley, Draco immediantly upon leaving the shop placed the ring on his middle finger of his right hand. The 'Signet Ring' shrank to fit his finger perfectly, he felt powerful wearing it.

Once they melted into the crowds in Diagon Alley, Narcissa sent her son off to get his school robes while she looked at wands and Lucius went to buy his books. Draco's parents left him at 'Madame Malkins' with specific instructions to go to Ollivanders after he had been fitted.

He strode into the shop confidently and searched quickly for a free shop keeper to fit him. Not ten seconds after entering Draco came across Madame Malkin herself. She was dressed in expensive mauve work robes and looked thoroughly flushed.

_"Hogwarts is it? Well come along lets get you measured" _she said while leading him to a stool in the dressing room. Malkin slipped a long robe over his head and began to pin it to the right length. _"You looking forward to starting school?..." _she trailed off not knowing his name.

_"Malfoy, Draco Malfoy and yes I am. It was a big decision, you know, choosing Hogwarts bacuse I was accepted to Durmstrang Academy aswell. But ultimatly of course I wished to follow in family tradition" _Draco meant being placed in Slytherine by this seemingly innocent statement, but Madame Malkin took it for something completely different. At that moment she thought she was fitting a future dark wizard for his first year Hogwarts school robes.

Draco then noticed a small messy black haired boy walking towards him and instructed to stand on the stool beside; by a second witch. The smiling squat witch slipped the black haired boy's robes over his head and began to methodically pin it to fit.

_"Hullo_" said Draco_, "Hogwarts too?"_

_"Yes_", said the scruffy boy.

_"My father's next door buying my books and mother's up the street looking at wands_" Draco was just trying to be polite, but he felt like this particular boy misunderstood his intent. He continued _"Then I'm going to drag them off to look at racing brooms. I don't see why first-years can't have their own. I think I'll bully father into getting me one and smuggle it into school somehow" _Draco joked, he was honestly mifted about not being able to bring his broom to school with him; he loved to fly.

_"Have you got your own broom?" _he went on.

_"No"_

_"Play Quidditch at all?"_

_"No"_

_"I do - Father says its a crime if I'm not picked to play for my house, and I must say, I agree."- _Draco didn't understand why the scruffy boy was being so rude, he was only trying to make conversation. -_" Know what house you'll be in yet?"_

_"No"_

_"Well no one really knows until they get there, do they, but I know I'll be in Slytherin, all our family have been - imagine being in Hufflepuff, I think I'd leave, wouldn't you_?" He asked hoping for more than a one word answer.

_"Mmm_" said the boy, Draco really wasn't getting anywhere with this kid and he was getting annoyed. He wanted the boy to say something a bit more interesting beacuse this conversation was feeling very one-sided.

_"I say, look at that man!" _he cried out, nodding towards the front window. Where a giant of a man was standing, grinning at the scruffy boy and pointing at two large ice-creams.

_"That's Hagrid" _the boys said, fianlly illiciting something more than the word 'no'. _"He works at Hogwarts" _Draco pleased to finally have broken the ice continued on this subject.

_"Oh, I've heard of him. He's a sort of servant, isn't he?" _Draco asked, not entirely sure. Only repeating what his father had told him once.

_"He's the gamekeeper" _the boy replied shortly.

_"Yes, exactly. I heard he's sort of savage - lives in a hut in the school grounds and every now and then he gets drunk, tries to do magic and ends up setting fire to his bed" _his mother, Narcissa had told him this and Draco saw no harm in repeating it.

_"I think he's brilliant" _was the scruffy haired boys reply; that answer chilled Draco to the very core. How could someone he had only just met be so cold towards him, he had never been treated like this in his entire life.

_"Do you?" _Draco said with a light sneer at the boy's rudness. The conversation continued like this until the witch working on the rude boy said he could go and left before telling Draco his name.

Upon his parents instruction, Draco left Madame Malkins in a hurry bumping into a girl and her family slightly-he apologized and left before they could shout at him. Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy were waiting just outside of Ollivanders for Draco and bustled him inside without so much as a hello.

The wand choosing went quickly much to Draco's displeasure, he had waited 11 years for this event and it was over far too fast for his liking. The wand that chose him was, Hawthorne 10' and Unicorn hair. The feeling that encompased his fingers upon holding it for the first time was unimaginable, it felt amazing; he never wanted the warmth to go away.

The Malfoy's returned home to the Malfoy Manor in the early afternoon, having bought all of Draco's supplies. Now all he had to do was wait. September 1st couldn't be that far away.

******************  
(Granger, Diagon Alley)

_"Mummy, Daddy, wake up! Professor McGonagall will be here soon! Come on!" _Hermione Granger shouted shrilly, banging on her parents door, before heading downstairs to cook breakfast. Mr. and Mrs. Granger appeared in the kitchen fully dressed thirty minutes later. The kitchen table laden with too much food for the family to eat just for breakfast. Hermione had gone overboard...again.

_"Mione sweety, you need to calm down. Everything will be fine. The Professor isn't arriving for at least another hour"_ Jean tried to placate her daughter, drawing her into a comforting hug and then settling down to eat their feast of a breakfast.

At precisley 11 o'clock, three sharp wraps of a knuckle were heard knocking on the Grangers front door and then the door bell rang out. Hermione raced to answer it and almost tripped her father in the process.

_"Are you ready Hermione?" _Professor McGonagall asked, upon seeing the bushied haired girl open the door.

_"She's been ready since 8am Professor_" Ian jumped in before his little girl could answer.

_"Alright then shall we go? We'll be traveling the muggle way to Diagon Alley, so you can take Hermione next year without my help. Do you have a vehicle? _

_"We have a car..err, its this way_" Jean said grabbing the keys and giving them to Ian. They all squeezed into three door Mini Cooper; Ian and the Professor in the front and Jean and Hermione sat in the back. McGonagall instructed them on how to get to Charing cross road, where they would enter Diagon Alley through a pub called the 'Leakey Cauldron'.

They parked close to their destintion and paid for 4 hours, not expecting to take any longer. Professor McGonagall guided them to the pub situated between a bookshop and record store. The three Grangers didn't think to notice it until McGonagall pointed it out, Hermione suspected that the building was magically enchanted and her excitement grew.

Leakey Cauldron was a dark dingy place that felt suprisingly warm and homey. Hermione-although taught it was rude to star-couldn't help but glance intently at everyone in the room. All she could think was 'these people are like me'.

McGonagall lead them through the bar and out into a small, walled courtyard, where there was nothing but a dustbin and a few weeds. _"Three up…two across…"_ she muttered. _"Please stand back. Thank you."_ the Grangers watched entranced as Professor McGonagall tapped the wall three times with the point of her wand.

The brick she had touched quivered-it wriggled-in the middle, a small hole appeared-it grew wider and wider-a second later they were facing an archway on to a cobbled street which twisted and turned out of sight. "_Welcome, to Diagon Alley"._

Hermione gasped and clenched on her parents hands, this couldn't be happening, could it? She felt like she needed a serious dose of reality...or someone to pinch her at least.

_"Okay, first thing first. We are going to need to go to Gringotts to change your muggle money into wizards currency and then will go get your wand..." _McGongall trailed off in Hermione's head, she wasn't really listening to the Professor. Her attention was too busy occupied with soaking up all the things around her.

She turned her head in every direction as they walked up the street, trying to look at everything at once: the shops, the things outside them, the people doing their shopping. There were shops selling robes , shops selling telescopes and strainf silver instruments Hermione had never seen before, windows stacked with bat spleens and eel's eyes, tottering piles of spell book, quills and rolls of parchment, potion bottles, globes or the moon...

"_Gringotts"_ said McGonagall.

They had reached a snowy-white building which towered over the other little shops. Hermione couldn't take her eyes off of the building, examining every inch of it as she followed her parents and McGonagall through the doors. At first Hermione was too preoccupied to notice the small creatures sitting at the desks inside Gringotts.

_"Granger come along, no time to waste!" _Hermione heard the sharp cry of McGonagall call to her, she turned to see her parents being served by one of the creatures. Hermione chose to stay quiet on the matter until they were well away from the building, in fear of saying something to offend the Gringotts employees.

_"Professor McGonagall, what were those creatures?" _

_"Those, Hermione, were Goblins, extremely smart and not at all that pleasent to deal with. But they handle our money, you can trust them to protect the wealth of the wizarding world" _Professor McGonagall said intensly, making it completely clear not to underestimate the Gringotts Goblins. _"Here we are, Ollivanders-makers of fine wands since 382 BC" _she read aloud the front shop sign.

If this was meant to be a wand shop it didn't dissapoint. The shop itself was extremely simple, only a single wand resting on a faded purple cushion, shown in the window. Hermione noticed that most of the shop was taken up by rows upon rows of narrow boxes piled right up to the ceiling. Her natural curiosity peeked, this place almost seemed to radiate a mysterious type of magic and Hermione was desperate to explore it.

A tinkeling bell rang out somehwere deep within its depths as they stepped inside. Almost immediantly an old man was standing before them, his wide, grey eyes, shining like moons through the gloom of the shop.

_"Ah, yes. A new student"_, it wasn't a question, Mr Ollivander moved closer to Hermione, _"Yes, yes, Please extend you wand arm"_ he instructed while reaching for a measuring tape in his trouser pocket.

Hermione raised her right arm, supposing he meant what hand she wrote with. The old man took out his own wand and tapped the measuring tape with silver markings on it, instantly bringing it to life. Hermione was completely enchanted by the simple act of magic and stood extremely still as it took her measurements.

_"Every Ollivander wand has a core of a powerful magical substance. We use unicorn hairs, phoenix tail feathers and the heartstrings of dragons. No two Ollivander wands are the same, just as no two unicorns, dragons or phoenixes are the same. And of course, you will never get such good results with another wizard's wand." _He repeated his surmon that Hermione suspected he had repeated a lot today. _"One moment please" _he said and dissapeared down one of the further isle's in the small shop.

Hermione exchanged an excited glance with her parents and turned back to wait patiently for Mr Ollivander. He came back with a stack of several long thin brown boxes. It didn't take too long to find the wand that suited her perfectly, Hermione had tried out 4 of the wands Mr Ollivander had brought out before finally settling on, Vine 10'3/4 and dragon heartstring; bendy, but powerful.

The Grangers left Ollivanders, professsing their thanks and hope to see him again soon. It was only 12:30, so McGongall quickly took them to retrieve Hermiones school books, cauldron and other supplies she needed-Hermione bought a stack of extra magical books, simply for her pleasure. Lastly they were to go get her school robes from 'Madame Malkins- robes for all occasions'.

_"Come on-AHHH!" _A blur of blonde hair and black robes bumped into Hermione, knocking her off balance before grabbing a firm hold on her and keeping her from falling. But before she could thank the blur or even get a look at the persons face, they were shouting over their shouder apologies and hurrying down Diagon Alley.

_"Hunny, are you alright? Did that boy hurt you?"_ Jean said, swooping down on her daughter; concern lacing her words.

_"No. No he didn't."_ Hermione whispered, her mind in a daze and still reeling from the adrenaline surge.

"Come on lets get your robes" Professor McGonagall said, taking point.

"Sure Professor" her mind was still in the clouds, or more precisely wrapped around the boy's hand and the ornate diamond ring he wore.

Professor McGonagall saw them back to the Grangers car before leaving to make her own way home. Hermione couldn't believe it, it was so surreal.

She couldn't wait for September 1st, to arrive.

***Hope you enjoyed it, not my best work. I'll update soon.**


	4. Dark Secrets, September 1st Draco POV

**DIS****CLAIMER = I own nothing. J. is the author; I am a humble fan fiction writer. I do not claim the characters or Rowling's original story. = DISCLAIMER**

**By the way I KNOW Luna is not in the same year as Hermione, but for the purpose of my story she is. **

**Read. Review. Enjoy.**

'Today's the day, September 1st Draco thought while staring at his reflection in the floor length mirror oppposite him; his nimble fingers buttoning up his crisp white shirt methodically. The eleven year old boy had been awake since 7am awaiting his mothers wake up call at 9am, so he could begin to get ready.

He was so pleased for the summer months, it had allowed Draco to gain some well deserved colour to his skin. Draco had been riding his comet two-sixty as much as he possibly could, before the beginning of term. He had heard horror stories of the school brooms and wasn't looking forward to flying lessons at all.

A sharp knock on Draco's double bedroom doors shocked his head out og the clouds and back to earth. _"Draco! Come along, your Father wishes to see you" _he had to suppress a groan, this was sure to be painful.

_"Coming mother" _he gave himself one last lookover. He was smartly dressed in exensive dark emerald robes contrasting firecly with his hair; he checked his ring and then followed his mother out of the room to the parlor: just off of the large entrance corridor.

The room was a deep purple with a large crystal chandelier handing high above them. Mr. Malfoy was standing beside the large black marble fireplace watching his wife and heir enter calculatingly. Narcissa Malfoy crossed the room and sat on the small sofa not far from Lucius.

_"Draco, come her boy" _his father instructed Draco walked towards his father obediantly, stopping just infront of him._"Hogwarts is your chance to prove yourself, so far you have been allowed to live with your every whim answered to. Now your grades and accomplishments at school will determine whether those luxuries will continue" _- Mr. Malfoy reached into his pocket and pulled out a small velvet box that could easily fit in Draco's palm - "_This is your birth right, wear it with pride and remember you are. A. Malfoy."_ Draco watched silently, as his father dissapeared into the emerald flames of the parlor fireplace, shouting out _"Ministry of magic!" _

He just stood there, frozen. Mr. Malfoy had just threatened him with disownment if Draco disgraced the family while at school. He may not have said it out right, but the message was clear. _"Open it Draco" _his mothers voice, again, drawing him out of his musings.

He had almost forgotten the small velevet box in his hands. Draco opened it hesitantly, listening to the hinges creak, revealing a broach of the Malfoy family crest. 'Wear it with pride' resounded like a gong in his head. Draco pinned it on his reobes and turned to face his mother, face intense. _"I'll make him proud". _

A scarlet steam engine was waiting next to a platform packed with people. A sign overhead said 'Hogwarts Express, 11 o'clock. Smoke from the engine drifted over the heads of the chattering crowd, while cats of every colour wound here and there between their legs. Owls hooted to eachother in a disgruntled sort of way over the babble and scraping of trunks. Draco's own Eagle owl was perched regally inside his iron cage, making no hoots and remaing above the inane actions of his species.

Draco noticed the first few carriages were already packed with students, some hanging out of the window to talk to their families, some fighting over seats and others looking completely lost; he assumed they were first years like himself. Mrs. Malfoy guided her son to the front of the train, grabbing the attention of a large, black haired, 6th year Slytherin.

_"Goodmorning Mrs. Malfoy, father mentioned Draco staring this year. Would you like any help?" _his voice was a deep and authortarian. If Draco wasn't mistaken this was Xavier Dessen, Pureblood, with strong family ties to the Malfoy's.

_"Thankyou Xavier, I'd be greatful if you could help Draco with his trunk and take him to the first year compartment" _she smiled serenly at him and turned to her son.

The loud bustle of the chattering crowds swallowed Narcissa's words only allowing her son to hear. _"Draco" - _she placed a hand on either of his shoulder, staring intently into his grey eyes: the exact copy of her own - _"The friends you make at Hogwarts will last you a lifetime. Choose the right people to surround yourself and you'll go far. Have a good year son. Make me proud" _she gave him a quick hug before standing back to let Draco board the train.

The train began to move, Xavier closed the door infront of him and as the train rounded a corner-at Draco's last sight of his mother in the crowd-he whispered inaudiably. _"Goodbye mum". _

_"Come on Malfoy, lets get you settled"_ the 6th year, Dessen guided Draco to a compartment with four other children his age inside. _"This is your compartment"._

_"I thought they weren't asigned"_

_"They're not officially. But its a well known fact that Slytherin control the front the train and we take care of our own.See you at school Malfoy." _Draco watched as Xavier strode a little further down the train and entered a compartment four down from him.

He sucked in a deep breath, cleared his expression and opened the door to the first year compartment. Four sets of eyes reverted to him immediantly. Three boys and a girl sat in the Slytherin decorated compartment, he seated himself in the only free space available opposite the dark skinned boy sitting next to the window.

_"I'm Malfoy, Draco Malfoy" _he stated proudly, giving his hand for the boy to shake.

_"Blaise Zabini, I know who you are, your a Slytherin prodigy" _, Draco liked this boy already. _"The two boys there Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle and the brunette beside you is Pansy Parkinson" _

_"Pleasure to meet you all, I wonder how the other first years are fairing, probably acting like savages to get a compartment" _the others laughed at his crude joke, happy for someone to have broken the ice. Houses flashed past the window, Draco felt a thrill of excitment. While they had been talking, the train had carried them out of London.

_"So is it true Draco, is Harry Potter really in the train?" _Pansy asked fishing for gossip.

_"I'm not sure, but I don't think he should get all this attention for simply living. I do it every day"_ Draco said charmingly, smirking darkly at Pansy.

_"Do you want to play?"_ Blaise asked reffering to his deck of exploding snap.

_"No" _the boys said but Pansy agreed, just to kill time.

_"Crabbe? Goyle? Fancy going on a field trip, I want to meet this Harry Potter" _Mrs. Malfoy's advice repeating in his head; the importance of connections. Two grunts that Maloy took as confirmation shortly followed. He lead them out of the compartment and down the train before coming across a compartment that was getting too much attention, for the two first years it housed. 'Potter must be one of them' he concluded.

Draco slid open the door and the three of them entered. He recignised one of them immediantly: it was the rude boy from Madame Malkin's robe shop. Draco gazed at him interestingly. _"Is it true?" _he said, _"They're saying all down the train that Harry Potter's in this compartment. So its you, is it?" _

_"Yes" _said Harry_, '_again with the one word anwers' he had to swallow a sigh. Draco noticed Potter eyeing the boys behind him, they did both look menacing standing behind him.

_"Oh, this is Crabbe and this is Goyle" _he introduced carelessly, _"and my names Malfoy, Draco Malfoy"_. The second boy gave a skight cough which Malfoy was Certain had been hiding a snigger._ "Think my names funny? Let me see, red hair, freckles and no manners you must be a Weasley" _he turned back to Harry. _"You'll soon find out some wizarding families are better then others, Potter. I can help you there" _he held out his hand like he had done with Blaise, but Harry didn't take it.

_"I think I can tell for myself" _he replied coldly. It was official, Draco Malfoy hated Harry Potter and his loser friend Weasley.

_"I'd be careful if I were you Potter" _Draco said slowly. _"Unless you're a bit politer you'll go the same way as your parents. They didn't know what was good for them, either." _Both Potter and Wealey stood quickly, Weasley redder than his hair.

_"Say that again"_

_"Oh, you're going to fight us, are you?" _Draco sneered. A smarter boy would sit back down, but Malfoy had a feeling that Potter was brave bordering on stupid.

_"Unless you get out now"_, thoughts confirmed.

_"But we don't feel like leaving, do we boy's? We havent eaten yet and you still seem to have some food"_

Goyle reached towards the chocolate frogs next to Weasley - red head leapt forward, but before he'd so much as breathed on Goyle. Goyle let out a horrible yell. Draco looked to see a rat hanging off of his hand, its teeth dug deep into his knuckles. Draco heard footsteps over the clatter of the train and dragged the two boys out just as the rat let go of Goyle.

Draco thought he caught a glimpse of the girl he had run into in Diagon Alley out of the corner of his eye, but didn't stop to check. They raced back to their compartment, pursued by one of the Gryfindor prefects who had come to see what all the noise was about. Just as Draco, Crabbe and Goyle passed over the invisible line that crossed into Slytherin territory. Three older Slytherin students stepped out of their compartment blocking the hall as they passed, acting as a barrier to the Gryfindor. The three of them collapsed back in their compartment, gasping on their empty seats.

A mixture of the adrenaline and excitement caused Draco to burst out into fits of laughter, he couldn't believe how perfect the timing of the barrier had been. _"What happened to you three?" _Pansy questioned, smiling at Draco's absurd condition.

_"We found Potter" - _Draco said after calming himself down_ - " and lets just say this boys actions, crossed from brave and hit stupid in a heartbeat_"

"_Sounds like the Golden Boy has a temper, wonder how far we can push him?" _Blaise said cunningly, his face a perfect smirk. Draco felt like he had accomplished what his mother had asked, he'd made the right friends. The rest of the train ride was spent mapping out the downfall of Harry Potter and playing exploding snap. This year was going to be fun.

Draco peered out of the window, it was getting dark. He could see mountains and forests under a deep-purple sky. The train did seem to be slowing down. A voice echoed through the train _'We will be reaching Hogwarts in five minutes time. Please leave your luggage on the train, it will be taken to school seperatly". _The compartment seemed to crackle with excitment, they were finally here!

The train slowed right down and finally stopped. Draco could hear people further down the train pushing their way onto the platform in chaos. Xavier once again appeared at their compartment door, leading them out into the hallway and the crowd of Slytherin parted like the red sea to let the first years through.

_"Firs'-years! Firs'-years over here!" _Draco, Blaise and the others followed the loud boom and lamp bobbing over the heads of the students. It was the gamekeeper...Hagrid. _"C'mon, follow me - any more firs'-years? Mind yer step, now! Firs'-years follow me!" _Hagrid lead the group to what looked like a steep narrow path. The future Slytherin's lagged behind slightly watching as the others slipped and stumbled down the path. _"You should be see'in your firs' glimpse o' Hogwarts" _

There was a loud _"Ooooh!" _The narrow path had opened suddenly on to the edge of a great black lake. Perched atop a high mountain on the other side, its windows sparkling in the starry sky, was a vast castle with many turrets and towers.

A scream behind him caused Draco to act quickly. He spun around just in time to catch a bushy haired girl who was about to do a legendary face plant. He helped steady her catching the barest glimpse of chocolate brown eyes behind beautiful butterfly eyelashes _"Be careful, wouldn't want to fall" _he said quietly so not as to be over heard. The girl just nodded refusing to meet his gaze or loosen her grip on his arm.

_"Thankyou"_

_"Nothing to it" _she released him and Draco returned to his friends who were waiting patiently for him down by the edge of the lake.

_"No more'n four to a boat!" _Hagrid called, pointing to a fleet of little boats sitting in the water by the shore. Draco and Blaise were followed into their boat by Crabbe and Goyle; Pansy left to group with a butch looking girl in the boat next to them. Draco quickly scanned the rest of the boats and spotted the brown eyed girl sitting with Potter and his red head friend. He immediantly felt sorry for her-which he tried to squash speedily.

_"Everyone in?" _shouted Hagrid, who had a boat to himself, _"Right then - FORWARD!"_

And the fleet of little boats moved off all at once, gliding across the lake, which was as smooth as glass. Everyone was silent, staring up at the great castle overhead. It towered over them as they sailed nearer and nearer to the cliff on which it stood. Draco wondered idly on how Durmstrang could even begin to compete.

_"Heads down!" _yelled Hagrid as the first boats reached the cliff; they all bent their heads and little boats carried them through a curtain of ivy which hid wide opening in the cliff face. They were carried along a dark tunnel until they reached a kind of underground harbour. Draco glanced over to the brown eyes girl invoulountarily throughout the journey - scolding himself for every chaste look.

They all clambered out of the boats onto rocks and pebbles. Draco was vaguely aware of Hagrid shouting something about a toad, but he was too pre-occupied staring in wonderment at the underground cave and occasionally _her_.They walked up a flight of stone steps and crowded around the huge, oak front door.

"Eveyone here? You there, still got yer toad?" Hagrid raised a gigantic fist and knocked three times on the castle door. It swung open at once. A tall, black-haired witch in emerald-green robes stood there. She had a very stern face and Draco's immediate thought was that she was going to be trouble. "The firs'-years, Professor McGonagall"

"Thankyou, Hagrid. I will take them from here", she pulled the door wide. The entrance hall was as big as the Malfoy's formal dining room but obviously not as luxouriously decorated. Draco could hear the drone of thouseands of voices from a doorway to the right - the rest of the school already seated in-side. "Welcom to Hogwarts" said Professor McGonagall. "The start of term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the great hall, you will be sorted into your houses. The sorting is a very important..."-Draco tuned out and pin pointed the brown haired girl somewhere in the crowd-"...the four houses are called Gryffindor, Huffelpuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin...triumph will earn you points...I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours. The sorting ceremony will start shortly, I shall return when we are ready for you" she left the hall.

Draco tore his eyes away from the girl and looked around the anxious group of first years surrounding him. He exchanged a smug look with Blaise, their parents having told them exactly what to expect; Crabbe and Goyle looked completely clueless. He noticed Pansy pretending to shoot a girl whispering to anyone who would listen and was about to laugh until he realised who the girl was and settled for a small smirk to please Pansy.

"The sorting ceremony about to start" said a sharp voice, Professor McGonagall had returned. "Now, form a line" she told him the first years "and follow me".

Draco fell in line beside Blaise with the two dolts behind them. He could feel the beginning of a pattern occuring. They walked through a pair of double doors into the Great Hall. Draco had never seen such a strange and splendid place. The roof was literally illusioned to look like the night sky and the hall was lit by thousands of candles, which were floating in mid-air over four long tables; where the rest of the students were sitting.

Professor McGonagall led the first years down the isle's until they milled in a group infront of another table where the teachers were sitting. McGonagall silently placed a four-legged stool in front of the first-years. On top of the stool she put the sortinghat. Draco squirmed with excitement 'Slytherin', 'Slytherin', 'Slytherin' chanted over and over again in his mind.

A rip near the brim opened wide like a mouth - and the hat began to sing.

Oh you may not think I'm pretty,  
But don't judge on what you see,  
I'll eat myself if you can find,  
A smarter hat than me,  
You can keep your bowlers black,  
Your top hats sleep and tall,  
For I'm the Hogwarst Sorting Hat,  
And I can cap them all.  
There's nothing hidden in your head,  
The Sorting hat can't see,  
So try me on and I will tell you,  
Where you ought to be.

You might belong in Gryffindor,  
Where dwell the brave at heart,  
Their daring, nerve and chivalry  
Set Gryffindors apart;  
You might belong in Hufflepuff,  
Where they are just and loyal,  
Those patient Hufflepuffs are true,  
And unafraid of toil;  
Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,  
If you've a ready mind,  
Where those of wit and learning,  
Will always find their kind;  
Or perhaps in Slytherin,  
You'll make your real friends,  
Those cunning folks use any means,  
To achieve their ends.

So put me on! Don't be afraid!  
And don't get in a flap!  
You're in safe hands (thought I have none)  
For I'm a thinking cap.

The hall burst into applause it bowed and became still once again. Professor McGonagall stepped forward holding a roll of parchment. "When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted" she said. "Abott, Hannah!"

Draco didn't listen to the names being called too carefully, only really noticing when a Slytherin was called out. "Bulstrode, Millicent", the butch looking girl he'd seen Pansy with was the first to be placed in Slytherin. Soon it was Draco's turn. He swaggered forward when his name was called, chanting Slytherin in his head: the hat had barely touched him when it screamed the long awaited word "SLYTHERIN!". Draco jumped with glee inside but remained cool and collected as he took his seat at the Slytherin table; next to Crabbe and Goyle. Pansy was placed in Slytherin next and grabbed a seat next to Millicent and opposite Draco; who was saving the seat beside him for Blaise.

_"Harry Potter" _as was predicted, the hall hushed silent and the Gryffindor's cheered extremely loud when the boy was placed in their house. Draco just rolled his eyes, he hoped Weasley and Potter would be very happy together.

"Zabini, Blaise!" Professor Mcgonagall called out, the last student waiting to be sorted. Draco clapped very hard, when his friend was sorted into Slytherin and pulled him into the seat next to him; slapping Blaise on the back in congratulations. They were both beaming, they're wishes answered. This was where they belonged.

Before Draco could thoroughly enjoy his triumph, he quickly checked the other tables for the brown haired girl; he knew she wasn't in Slytherin. What Draco saw next, made his heart drop into his stomach. The girl. The one he'd caught. She was a Gryffindor.


	5. Dark Secrets, September 1st Hermione POV

**Disclaimer! I dont own anything! Disclaimer!**

If the weather was any indication to how the day would be, it didn't look good. The dark grey clouds hovered in the sky like a blanket threatening a storm. But today was the 1st of September and to Hermione Granger nothing could ruin it. She was a witch. It was like the missing piece had finally found its place. She knew who she was. There were other people like her, she wouldn't be ridiculed for being different anymore. Now, she had her place.

"Sweety! Come along!" her mother shouted up the staircase. "We don't have long until we have to leave for your train!"

"Coming!" Hermione screamed excitedly back. She had been ready to leave since 7 O'clock in the morning, too wired to sleep through anymore of the day. Her trunk was packed, her hair brushed into bushy brown curls and the butterflys were playing havoc with her insides. A fresh wave of nausea would flush through her chest at any given moment and allow worries to filter through. What if she couldnt make friends?

"Hermione!" Mrs Granger shouted again. Hermione charged into action, gripping hold of her trunk and thundering down the stairs like a woman on a mission. She sped out onto the driveway and helped her dad pack her school trunk into the boot of the family car.

"You excited Jelly Bean?" Mr Granger asked while giving his daughter a quick hug.

She nodded happily and tried desperatly to hold back the tears that were sure to rise when she had to say goodbye; at the train station. Mrs Granger walked steadily out of the house and locked the door before ushering everyone into the car. The time had come.

They arrived at Kings Cross at Half past ten. Hermione was sure that it wouldnt be enough time, they needed to find the platform and a seat on the train and not to mention say goodbye. Hermione half dragged, half lead her parents to the platform 9 and 10. "Are you sure this is right Hermione?" her mother asked worridly.

"Its what the letter says.."-she quickly pulled out the parchment letter from her pocket and read it through for the twentieth time that day-"...we have to go to the seventh archway connecting the platforms and then I have to walk through the wall." It seemed simple enough when she read it to herself. So they walked, the Grangers counted down the archways, eyes wondering every which way in order to see another family making the same trip. So far only businessmen and women were walking steadily around the platforms or reading their newspapers.

Upon reaching archway number seven they stopped slowly so not to catch the attention of the morning commuters. Hermione looked down at her acceptance letter and hesitantingly up at the archway. "Just walk through" she repeated to herself eyeing the seemingly solid wall.

"Mione?" she turned to her parents who were watching their only daughter expectantly. All of a sudden a great surge of loneliness raked through her small frame. She ran at her parents and smothered them both in a terrified hug. They grasped onto her too, unwilling to let their only daughter just leave them. "We're going to miss you" Mr Granger whispered into Hermione's curly brown hair.

"I'm going to miss you too. I love you daddy" she cried quietly into his warm navy blue coat, a pillar of strength. Hermione turned to her mum, her strong willed and caring mother. The one who didn't leave her side when she had chicken pocks or always greeted you as if she hadn't seen you for years. Her mum was her hero. They looked like eachother, her dad always joked that they were clones not mother and daughter.

Mrs Granger clasped both of Hermione's hands in her own and kneeled down to the eleven year olds eye level. "I love you Hermione"-she said sniffing back her tears-"I know your going to do amazing at this new school. I know you'll make the best of friends who'll love you for you. Who'll recognise what a wonderful person you are"-she gently stroked the side of her daughters face, wiping away a tear-"I just wish you didn't have to grow up."

Hermione leapt forwards into her mothers arms and almost knocked her off balance if not for Mr Grangers steadying hand. "I won't then" Hermione sobbed. "I won't, I'll stay."

"Shhh" her mother soothed. "That won't stop you growing up. That'll just mean you'll miss out on a big adventure. One you don't want to miss" Mrs Granger tidied up her daughter and gave her a teary smile that spoke a thousand words. "You have to go now Mione. You have to walk through."

"We love you Hermione Granger" Her dad smiled proudly, Mrs Granger cradled happily at his side. "We love you."

Hermione summoned all of her courage and stood tall behind her trolley, holding her trunk. She didn't walk like the letter said. She ran. She ran so fast and so hard at the solid brick wall she thought she'd be knocked out by the collision. But she didn't. Suddenly the world changed. The platform wasn't the same. It was crowded with school children and parents, with shrieks from owls and the laughs of her peers. "Mum look!" she said looking at the great scarlet steam engine waiting at the paltform. Hermione was about to turn around to look at her parents reaction when she realised they weren't there. They were back at Kings Cross. She was alone.

It took every ounce of self control she had in her not to run back through the barrier. Instead she mustered some strength and walked on down the platform. Smoke from the engine drifted over the chattering crowd, while cats of every colour wound their way between peoples legs. Owls hooted to each other in a disgruntled sort of way over the babble and the scraping of heavy trunks. The first few carriages were already packed with students, some hanging out of the window to talk to their families, some fighting over seats.

Hermione pushed her trolley off down the platform in search of an empty seat. She was too nervous to pick a compartment already full of people. She found an almost empty compartment down the end of the train. The only other person in it was a blonde haired girl who looked as if she were in a dream. Hermione opened the door and attempted to heave her trunk on the train. It didn't work. She was worried she'd be left out on the platform and the steam engine would leave without her.

"Would you like me to help?" a wispy voice annouced from inside the compartment. Hermione looked up at the girl who was still seated in her seat.

"Yes please. I don't think I can do it myself" she smiled half heartedly at the girl, quite unsure how to talk to a stranger. They both made short work of heaving the trunk aboard the train. The girl even helped Hermione place her trunk neatly in the overhead compartment. "Thanks, I'm Hermione Granger" she said extending her hand to shake.

"Your welcome, I'm Luna Lovegood" she said, then suprising Hermione by giving her a quick hug. She didn't know how to react, was this good? Hermione took a seat opposite Luna at the window and closed the compartment door to the platform. "Your a muggleborn" Luna said, not a question. "I'm a pureblood"

"A what?"

"A pureblood. All my family have been witches and wizards for generations."

"Oh." Hermione felt the loneliness surge again. Great, she was different here too.

"I like you." Luna smiled dazily. "I'm an excellent judge of character". This Luna girl was very confusing. Hermione had never been around someone so bluntly honest before.

"Oh, I like you too." she was at a loss for words, which didn't happen very often.

**"ALL ABOARD!" **The conductor boomed in a great bellowing voice. It was not a second past eleven o'clock when the train pulled away from platform nine and three quarters and sped off out of the station. For a while Hermione and Luna just sat in silence, watching out of the window as the city turned to countryside.

"Do you think I'll be very far behind? I mean magical education wise?" Hermione asked Luna in conversation.

"I don't think so. You'll catch up pretty quickly. First year is all about the basics." At that moment a round faced boy opened the door to their compartment and stepped inside shyly.

"Errm have either of you seen a toad?"

Both Luna and Hermione shook their heads. "Would you like our help looking for it? It must be frightened without you?" Neville couldn't be sure if Luna was mocking him or not so just agreed to the help anyway. Hermione was pleased for something productive to do but asked if she could change into her school robes first. Neville left then and agreed to meet up with the two further up the train.

Luna and Hermione quickly changed into their first year school robes and caught up with Neville who was hovering nervously outside of a compartment filled with third years in yellow robes. "Why are their school clothes different to ours?" Hermione asked.

"Its a different colour for each house. Hufflepuff gets Yellow, Ravenclaw gets blue, Gryfindor gets red and Slytherin gets green" Luna explained kindly. "I hope I'm in Ravenclaw, my mother and father were".

"Mine were Gryffindor" Neville said proudly.

"What does that matter? Which house your parents were in?" Hermione was pretty prepared for general knowledge about Hogwarts but she wasn't quite sure about the sorting. Her school book, A Hogwarts History had been a little vague on the matter.

"Students often follow in the same house as their parents, are you a muggleborn?" Neville asked. Hermione nodded but didn't make eye contact. "Just means you get a clean slate when you're sorted, pretty exciting really."

Hermione smiled at his kidness, maybe she could make friends. "Anyway, why are we standing out here?"

Neville went beetroot red and simply mumbled "I'm too nervous to ask". So Hermione did what any good friend would. She opened the door and asked a group of Hufflepuff third years whether or not they had seen a toad. When the group answered no she closed the door quickly and spun around to Luna and Neville; adrenaline shooting through her veins.

"You're definatly a Gryfindor" Luna mused dreamily. Hermione beamed and offered to look up at the front of the train. So she set off. She set off to find a boy called Neville's toad, while her mind focused on whether or not she would make a good Gryfindor. Not far from when she had left Luna and Neville did she hear a sudden commotion and three boys legging it past her and up the train. She saw some familiar white blonde hair shoot past her, Hermione was sure it was the same that had run into her at Diagon Alley. He went to Hogwarts too? She watched in interest as he dissapeared out of sight along the narrow corridor.

Hermione entered the compartment she had seen the three boys leaving and was suprised to see two boys chatting happily while looking amazed at a sleeping rat between them.  
"Have anyone seen a toad? Neville's lost one" she asked a little too forcefully.

"We've already told him we haven't seen it" the red headed boy said. But she wasn't lisenting she was too busy staring in wonder at the wand in his hand. It was a little beaten with Unicorn hair poking out of the end. But if he was going to do magic, she wanted to see.

"Oh, are you going to do magic? Lets see it then" her mind to excited for pleasentrys and sat down in the compartment, the boy looked taken back.

"Er-alright" he cleared his throat.

"Sunshine, daisies, butter, mellow,  
turn this stupid, fat rat yellow" He waved his wand but nothing happend. The rat just lay their sleeping as peacfully as before.

"Are you sure thats a real spell?" she was thoroughly dissapointed. "Well its not very good, is it? I've tried a few simple spells just for practice and its all worked for me. Nobody in my family is magic at all, it was ever such a suprise when I got my letter, but I was ever so pleased, of course, I mean, its the very best school of witchcraft there is, I've heard - I've learnt all the books off by heart, of course, I just hope it will be enough - I'm Hermione Granger, by the way, who are you?" she had rambled on for so long, she could feel her red cheeks burning with embaressment.

The dark haired boy and the red head looked at eachother with stunned faces, which only added to Hermione's embaressment. She always rambled when she got nervous.

"I'm Ron Weasley" the red head boy muttered.

"Harry Potter" said the dark haired boy. The name sounded so familiar. Something clicked in her head. She knew the name, he was famous. He was the boy who lived.

"Are you really?" Hermione asked, her eyes wide. "I know all about you, of course - I got a few extra books for background reading, and you're in _Modern Magical History_ and _The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts _and _Great Wizarding Events of the twentieth century._"

"Am I?" the boy looked rather dazed. All that extra reading was good for something more then pleasure.

"Goodness, didn't you know, I'd have found out everything I could if it was me." Hermione gushed. "Do either of you know what house you'll be in? I've been asking around and I hope I'm in Gryffindor, it sounds by far the best, but I suppose Ravenclaw wouldn't be too bad..."-she said thinking of Luna-"Anyway I'd better go and look for Neville's toad. You two better change I expect we'll be there soon" she quickly swooped out of the compartment as quickly as she had came. But Hermione couldnt help but feel she left the wrong impression in the two boys minds.

Eventually she met back up with Luna and Neville, none of them had had any luck finding Neville's toad, Trevor. The sky had turned dark, the clouds previously hanging there had morphed into a great dark blue sky dotted with tiny silverly pinpricks. The longer you looked the more you'd see. Until every inch was glittering and the night wasn't so dark afterall.

A voice eachoed through the train "We will be reaching Hogwarts in five minutes' time. Please leave your luggaged on the train, it will be taken to the school seperatly".

Hermione's stomach lurched as the train stopped. Neville looked similar to how Hermione felt, completly sick to the stomach. Over the remaining part of the journey she had been too busy obssessing over the sorting to be very social. Luna hadn't seemed to mind and Neville was very glum over losing his pet toad. People pushed their way towards the doors and out onto a tiny, dark platform. Hermione shivered in the cold night air, Luna fastened her robe tighter around herslef and Neville searched frantically on the platform for Trevor.

Then a lamp came bobbing over the heads of the students and Hermione heard a gruff voice yell out "Firs'-years! Firs'-years over here! C'mon, follow me - any more firs'-years? Mind yer step, now! Firs-years follow me!" Slipping and stumbling all the expectant first years followed a giant of a man down what seemed to be a steep, narrow path. It was so dark that Hermione hung at the back of the group terrified she might slip and fall. Nobody said much, although Hermione could hear Neville sniffing uphead. The poor boy missed his toad.

"Yeh'll get yer firs' sight o' Hogwarts in a sec"-the giant called over his shoulder-"Jus' round this bend here".

There was a loud "Oooooh!" which caused Hermione to quicken her speed. She wanted to see her home for the next seven years. The narrow path opened suddenly on to the edge of a great lake. Perched atop a high mountain on the other side, its windows sparkling in the starry sky, was a vast castle with many turrets and towers. Hermione was too busy staring up in wonder at Hogwarts that she hadn't been watching her footing. She let out a shrill scream and toppled over, she was about to hit the cold hard ground when someone grabbed hold of her arm and steadied her.

She looked up cautiously and caught a glimpse of white blonde hair before looking down quickly at the hand steadying her. The ring. The black diamond ring. He was the boy from Diagon Alley. He'd caught her again.

"Be careful wouldn't want to fall" he said quietly, his voice smooth for an eleven year old. She just nodded her head, trying to control the butterflys that had started to eat away at her insides. She could swear her heartbeat was loud than the steam trains engine.

"Thankyou" she squeaked out, releasing his arm from her death grip and refusing to meet his gaze for fear of him seeing her burning cheeks.

"Nothing to it" he replied and walked off to a group students that must be his friends. She wished she could go with him, although she was also pleased she had time to compose herself before the sorting.


	6. Chapter 6 The Sorting Hermione POV

**DISCLAIMER! I OWN NOTHING! DISCLAIMER!**

**I KNOW Luna isn't in the same year as Hermione, but for the sake of my story she is.  
**

Fairytales arent real, but the grand castle looming above the boats of students, as they crossed a placid black lake, could be described as nothing but magical. Hermione had rushed into a boat besides Neville, unable to spot Luna in the crowd of first years. It wasn't until the boats had pulled away from the shore that Hermione had noticed Harry Potter and his friend Ron sitting infront of them. The saviour of the wizarding world was sitting directly infront of her, not 40cm away and yet all she could keep her mind on was her near fall and her blonde saviour.

She wondered if he remembered that day in Diagon Alley...As Hermione stared in awe at Hogwarts, she couldn't help but wonder. What would her life be here? The 'what ifs' and 'would be's' plagued her mind as a whirl pool of butterflys sprang to life in her stomach. She had never felt so light in her life, like she could float away at any given moment.

Her gaze flitted from boat to boat, watching her fellow classmates, each face full of excitement. Excitement for the future and for the sorting. Everyone was so quiet, not even a pin could disrupt the clear silence. Hogwarts towered over them as they sailed closer and closer to cliff on which it stood. "Heads down!" the giants voice yelled out, breaking the quiet like a canon ball. The students errupted into a fierce frenzy of whispers and nervous energy as the first boats reached the cliff; they all bent their heads and the little boats carried them through a curtain of thick ivy which hid a wide opening in the cliff face. They were carried along a dark tunnel, which seemed to be taking them underneath the castle, until they reached a kind of under-ground harbour, where they clambered out onto the rocks and pebbles.

"Oy, you there! Is this your toad?" the giant said pointing to neville, with a very grumpy looking toad clasped in his large hairy hands.

"Trevor!" Neville yelped extacticly and quickly rushed from Hermione's side to collect his long lost pet. He was beaming at the reunion although Hermione guessed that he might be playing down his relief to not be teased. Then they clambered up a passageway in the rock after the giants lamp, Hermione sticking close to the front of the group with Luna and Neville. They came out at last on to a smooth damp grass right in the shadow of the castle.

Finally they walked up a flight of stone steps and eagerly crowded around the huge oak front door. "Everyone here? You there, still got yer toad?" Neville turned radish red at the question and simply nodded his head vigourisly. The giant raised a gigantic fist and knocked three times on the castle door. Hermione instictvly turned her head and quickly glanced around the students looking for the blonde boy in the crowd. He was standing at the back, with his friends. Just knowing he was there gave Hermione the bravery to turn back and face the ominous looking oak doors open.

It swung open at once. A tall, black-haired witch in emerald-green robes stood there. It was Proffessor McGonagall. Hermione sighed in relief, finally a familiar face.

"The firs'-years, Proffessor McGonagall," the giant pronounced proudly.

"Thank you, Hagrid. I will take them from here", She pulled the door wide. The Entrance Hall was so big you could easily fit Hermione's whole house inside it. The stone walls were lit with flaming torches like the ones at Gringotts, the ceiling was too high to make out, and a magnificent marble stair-case facing them led to the upper floors.

They all followed McGonagall across the flagged stone floor. Hermione could hear the buzz of hundreds of voices from a doorway to the right, the rest of the school obviously already seated inside.  
"Welcome to Hogwarts", Hermione listened intently to every syllable of the Proffessors speech, afraid if she missed something everything would go wrong. "The start of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory and spend free time in your house common room. The four houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history and each has produced oustanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn you points, while any rule breaking will lose house points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the House Cup, a great honour. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours. The sorting ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school..." at which point hermione zoned out.

Infront of the entire school? She was going to be paraded infront of the entire school. A cased of nervousness bubbled its way to Hermione's lips, a soon as the Proffessor left she immediantly turned to Luna and started whispering hap hazardly about all the spells she'd learned. This wasn't good, she needed to compose herself.

Just at the moment Luna lay a calming hand on Hermione's arm and squeezed every so gently. The gesture seemed to say 'we're in this together', Hermione smiled happily in thanks to which Luna fully accepted. "The Sorting Ceremony is about to start" said a sharp voice, Proffessor McGonagall had returned. Feeling oddly as if her legs had turned to jelly Hermione got in line beside Luna, and followed the Proffessor back across the flagged stone floor and through the double doors into the Great Hall.

Hermione had never imagined such a spectacular place. It was lit by thousands of candles which were floating in mid-air over four long tables, where the rest of the students were sitting. These tables were laid with glittering golden plates and goblets. At the top of the hall was another long table where the teachers were sitting. Proffessor McGongall led the first years up here, so they came to a halt in a line facing the other students, with the teachers behind them. Hermione felt something a kin to prey as the vultures gawked from all angels. All of them guessing which house they would be in, which was the weakest and which was the strongest. Hermione lifted her chin and steadied her breathing. Ready to stare down anyone who looked her way.

Hermione quickly flicked her gaze back to Proffessor McGonagall as she silently placed a four legged stool in front of the first years. On top of the stool she put a pointed wizards hat. For a few seconds, there was complete silence. Then the hat twitched. A rip near the brim opened wide like a mouth - and the hat began to sing.

_'Oh you may not think I'm pretty,_  
_But don't judge on what you see,  
I'll eat myself if you can find,  
A smarter hat than me.  
You can keep you bowlers black,  
Your top hats sleek and tall,  
For I'm the Hogwarts sorting Hat,  
And I can cap them all.  
There's nothing hidden in you head,  
The sorting hat can't see,  
So try me on and I will tell you,  
Where you ought to be.  
You might belong in Gryffindor,  
Where dwell the brave at heart,  
Their daring nerve and chivalry,  
Set Gryffindors apart;  
You might belong in Hufflepuff,  
Where they are just and loyal,  
Those patient Hufflepuffs are true,  
And unafraid of toil;  
Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,  
If you've a ready mind,  
Where those of wit and learning,  
Will always find their kind;  
Or perhaps in Slytherin,  
You'll make your real friends,  
Those cunning folks use any means,  
To achieve their ends;  
So put me on! Don't be afraid!  
And don't get in a flap!  
You're in safe hands (though I have none)  
For I'm a thinking cap!"_

The whole hall burst into applause as the hat finished its song. It bowed to each of the four tables and then became quite still again. Thankgod. All she had to do was put on a hat! She just wished everyone didn't have to watch...

Proffessor McGonagall now stepped forward holding a long roll of parchment. "When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted"

Hermione's mind blanked as she watched student after student being sorted. The hat calling out a house after picking out the stongest trate from the persons mind. She was starting to feel a little sickly when her name was suddenly called out by Proffessor Mcgonagall. Her enitre body clenched up, frozen for a second before being shocked back to life by a gentle nudge from Luna. She walked briskly to the stool and lightly placed the hat on her head. Everything went dark.

The hats brim came down past her eyes and rested on the bridge of her nose. _'Miss Granger'_ the sorting hat said in her mind. _'Interesting, a quick mind, very smart you'll do well. But not for Ravenclaw, too much power to keep bottled up in books. Slytherine maybe? No, no, I know.'_

"GRYFFINDOR!" bellowed from the brim of the hat. Hermione's smile could reach from ear to ear as she ran off to find her seat, the Gryffindor table giving her a loud applause.

Hermione looked back to her friends still milling in a group at the front of the hall. Luna was smiling happily at Hermione and Neville looked almost shell shocked because McGonagall had just read out his name. Neville made his way to the stool but tripped slightly on the pebbled floor, he fell into the seat and jammed the hat onto his head. The hat took a long time deciding with him. When it finally shouted "GRYFFINDOR!", Neville ran off still wearing it and had to jog back amid gales of laughter. He took a seat opposite Hermione, although bright red he was obviously too extatic about being housed in Gryffindor to care. "Luna is next!" Neville laughed nervously.

"Lovegood, Luna" the Proffessor called out. Dreamy little Luna meandered over to the stool, delicatly sat down and placed the hat on her head. During her sorting it looked like the two were having a conversation. Oddly this didn't surpise Hermione. Or the house the hat finally called out. "GRYFFINDOR!"

"Well done Luna!" Neville congratulated her as she took her place next to Hermione.

"I'm glad we're in the same house" Hermione bumped her shoulder against Luna's happily.

"Me too, he's a very agreeable hat. So lonely", Hermione didn't have time to respond to the puzzling statment becuase next up was the boy with the blonde hair.

Proffessor McGonagall had read his name as Draco Malfoy. It was so unsual, but it fit him. Draco walked forwards with such confidence and with such conviction that before the hat had even fully touched his head it called out "SLYTHERIN!", Hermione then had to watch him take a seat on the other side of the hall next to some other first year Slytherins and looking extremely pleased with himself. Her heart had dropped into her stomach. She'd hoped slightly that he'd be in the same house as her. Maybe an excuse to talk to him. 'Maybe they'd have a class together', she hoped.

The rest of the sorting passed in a blur, she didn't even notice Harry Potter being placed into Gryffindor or his friend Ron Weasley. Hermione only returned to reality once the Headmaster Albus Dumbledore shouted out some very strange words. "Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!"

Hermione's mouth fell open, the dishes infront of her were now piled with food. He had never seen so many things he liked to eat on one table; roast beef, roast chicken, pork chops and lamb chops, sausages, bacon and steak, boiled potatoes, roast potatoes, chips, Yorkshire puddings, peas, carrots, gravy, ketchup and, for some strange reason, mint humbugs.

Everyone began to dig in. Hermione reached straight for the roast beef and roast potatoes, her favourite of all the dishes infront of her. She smothered it all in steaming gravy and couldn't believe had delicious it was. She thought her taste buds had died and gone to heaven!

"Luna?" Hermione asked when she was reaching for second helpings of beef.

"Yes"

"How much do you know about Slytherin?" she questioned cautiously, trying not to be overly interested. Let it be a passing comment, nothing more or less.

"Its considered dark. Lots of Dark Wizards have come from Slytherin. You-know-who was a Slytherin. My father tells me that mugwamps live tortured in their common room" she said seriously, although Hermione wasn't entirely sure what a mugwump was.

"Whats a mugwump?"

Luna's eyes brightened "Its a type of fungus that lives in the walls, it doesn't like the colour green". Hermione didn't know whether to take her seriously or not. In the end she just blinked and decided to forget about it. Life was never going to be dull with Luna.


	7. Chapter 7 After the feast

**DISCLAIMER! I DON'T OWN ANYTHING! DISCLAIMER!**

Xavier Dessen the fourth year prefect led the group of Slytherin first years from the Great Hall. The start of term feast had be been a lively affair, something Draco wasn't too used to. His meals offten consisted of just him and his mother. Blaise had kept all the first years entertained with tales of his trip to Bulgaria to visit his cousin in Durmstrang. Draco was eager to hear what it was like at this other school, one he had come so close to going to. Crabbe and Goyle didn't do much other than stuff their faces with all the good food laid out on the table. Pansy and Millicent hung on Blaise's every word and annoyingly kept asking Draco for his opinion.

Half way through the meal Draco had drfited from the conversation his eyes trained heavily on the Gryffindor girl. She was so different to the prim and proper girls he had grown up with. Pansy Parkinson was a fine example of good breeding and good manners. But this girl, her hair was wild and untamed, her skin slightly browned from the sun and from what Draco could tell quite smart too.

He focused on that memory of the girl as he followed Xavier to the Slytherin common room. They were being shown down to the dungeons, it was bitterly cold and damp as the descended further down into Hogwarts depths. He imagined her sitting infront of a warm fire and the thought kept the heat in his bones.

"Alright. The passageway to the common room is located behind this wall" Xavier said slamming his hand againts the large stone bricks behind him. "To enter you need a password. It changes every two weeks, so keep an eye on the noticeboard. You forget the password, you spend the night out here". That seemed completely fair to Draco. Its the only way people would learn, besides he had no intention of forgetting the password.

Xavier faced the wall and spoke "Dementor!" loud and clearly. Immediantly the wall transformed into passageway to the Slytherin Common room. The room had a grand atmosphere to it, with lots of low backed black and dark green leather sofa's, skulls and dark wood cupboards.

"Slytherin house extends partway under the lake, thats why the light is tinged green" Xavier came to stop directily infront of a massive fireplace, unlit, against the far wall. "You all must want to get settled in. The girls dormitorys are directly to my left, the boys dormitorys to my right. You'll find the first year dormitory clearly marked and your trunks should already be waiting inside"

Draco and Blaise didn't need to wait for any sort of formal dismission, they walked speedily to right and straight into the boys dormitory. Upon entering the first year dormitory they noticed the green lights translucent glow emanating from a window looking directly out into the murky depths of the lake. Xavier wasn't kidding when he said Slytherin house extended into it. Draco found his trunk settled infront of a four poster bed directly next to the window. His new Slytherin robes laid out neatly ontop of his trunk.

"Wow, look at this!" Blaise shouted in wonder. Somehow he had made a small fireplace appear againts the far side of the wall. "I don't know about you lot but i'm not built for cold weather" to which Blaise immediantly lit a fire with his wand. Draco loved magic. The heat emmanated into the room and Draco started to feel a little more at home.

The boys went to bed not long after the fire was lit. Mixed with full stomachs and the warmth, they felt the exhaustion creep up on them. Crabbe and Goyle had picked beds on the far side of the room. But that did nothing to stifle their loud snores combined in a ghastly harmony. As much as Draco tried, he couldnt, he couldnt get to sleep with such a racket. He swore to himself that tomorrow he'd find a silencing spell or so help him he'd murder them in their sleep.

His mind drifted hazily from the two brutes and onto the Gryffindor girl. Would she be asleep now? Was she thinking about him? Was he plaguing her mind, like she was plaguing his? He knew now that she was a Gryffindor there was no hope, he couldn't be her friend. He couldn't get to know her. He'd just have to forget about her. Hopefully they wouldn't have any classes together, it would make things easier. All Draco wanted to focus on was making Harry Perfect Potter pay for his rudeness. He needed to prove to his father that he was better then everyone else. That started tomorrow.

* * *

Hermione lay quietly in her four-poster bed, its deep red curtains drawn tight except for a tiny crease allowing her to see the full moon shining. She had chosen the bed directly next to the window, Luna was on the other side. They shared a dormitory with two other girls called Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil. The girls had been far too tired from the day to do much more then change into their pyjammas and get into bed.

The sky looked so beautiful, shimmering moon beames made the stars almost dance. The mornings thick grey blanket of clouds completely dissappeared. The morning. It felt so far away now. So much had happened. She was a Gryffindor. Tommorrow she was going to begin her magical studies! She was going to learn magic! The thought caused her to take a large intake of breath. Excitement running through her like a livewire. She could never fall asleep like this.

She wanted to explore the castle, but it was strictly forbbiden. If she was caught she'd be in big trouble. After about an hour of arguing with herself, Hermione finally settled with 'not tonight'. Instead she peeled off her duvet, slipped on some slippers and gently tiptoed out of her dormitory and down the spiral staircase into the empty common room. Hermione grabbed a seat on the comfy looking sofa's infront of the still burning fireplace. She drew up her knee's to her chest and stared into the flames.

They lept and danced and moved spasmodically until Hermione was sure she could see shapes. In her mind, she saw Draco. She saw his face staring back at her from the flames. She saw him smirking, trying to beckon her closer to the heat. Hermione leant her face deeper into her knee's, pressing them so hard they went ghostly white. Suddnely a firey serpent sprang forwards from the flames and made her heart jump. She quickly blinked her eyes and looked back to the flames, they were back to normal. No shapes, no Draco and no snakes. An odd feeling came with the image of the serpent, she couldn't pinpoint it or describe it. But, that feeling, sent her back to bed.


	8. Chapter 8 Potions

**Disclaimer! I don't own anything! Disclaimer!**

Hermione was lost. Again. Her first week at Hogwarts had been hell. Nothing stayed in the same place! There were hundred and forty-two staircases at Hogwarts; wide, sweeping ones; narrow, rickety ones; some that led some-where different on a Friday; some with a vanishing step halfway up that you had to remember to jump. Then there were doors that wouldn't open unless you asked politely, or tickled them in exactly the right place, and doors that weren't really doors at all, but solid walls just pretending.

The other elder students weren't much help either, unless it was one of your own house, they were more than likely going to send you in the wrong direction. Hermione hadn't even dared to ask a Slytherin directions for sheer fear of what they would do to her. Neville had been kind enough to tell her that Slytherin's didn't like muggleborns and to steer well clear of them no matter what.

Hermione had already witnessed her fellow Gryffindor, Seamus Finnigan, hexed so badly he was sent to the hospital wing. He was only a Halfblood, she had heard him telling people at the start of term feast. Professor McGongall was right, the magical world defiantly had its hardships. Living here wasn't going to be easy.

Thankfully the classes were a lot easier to cope with. There was so much more to magic than she could ever have imagined. It wasn't just waving a wand and saying a few strange words. She needed to study the night sky and learn the names of the different stars and planets. Three times a week they had to go to the greenhouse and learn how to take care of strange plants and found out what they were used for. It wasn't her favourite class, Hermione wasn't much of a green thumb.

History of Magic was one of the subjects Hermione was most looking forward to. But her teacher, Professor Binns wasn't the best for animating the subject, he more often sent the class to sleep than anything. Luna had been right when she said first year simply focused on the basics. Although Professor McGongall pushed them a little harder than the other teachers. Hermione had been the first student in the class to transfigure her match into a needle, she'd even managed to get a smile from McGongall.

Today though was her first ever lesson of Potions. Hermione had taken a wrong turn in the dungeons and now she wasn't too sure where she was. Everything was colder down here and was creepily like a maze. Everything looked the same. She tried to retrace her steps and found herself more lost than ever.

"Hey! What are you doing down here!" a gruff boys voice echoed in the damp hallway.

"I-i-i'm lost" Hermione gasped, her relief quickly turning to fear as she saw two brutish looking Slytherin first years head her way. "I'm on my way to potions" she tried to explain.

"Goyle what do we have here?" the larger and fatter of the two chuckled.

"Don't know Crabbe, looks like a lost little Gryffindor" he smirked evilly.

"Please, I'm just trying to find potions" Hermione almost begged, backing into the dead end behind her. The wall was so wet she could feel the cold seeping into her clothes.

"Crabbe! Goyle!" another boys voice echoed loudly in the hallway. Hermione felt a little hope rise in her chest.

"Over here Malfoy" the boy called Crabbe yelled back. Steadily she heard strong footsteps approach, the two thugs hadn't moved an inch since they'd heard the other voice. They just watched her. Staring, eying her up as prey.

Hermione closed her eyes awaiting what was to come next. "Whats going on?" the third voice said upon arrival.

"Gryffindor lurking" Goyle explained, she could still feel his eyes burning into her head.

"I hear she's a mudblood" Hermione didn't know what Crabbe meant but it didn't sound nice. "And she's friends with_ Potter_" he sneered the last name.

"What shall we do with her Draco?" Goyle asked, Hermione opened her eyes at the name. It was him. The boy who caught her.

"Can't do much, Potions starts in five minutes"- Draco stared at her. His face unreadable, his features pointed in a cold expression. Although his eyes, his grey eyes burned. They looked so alive. It was his only tell-"Goyle. Do what you do best...but be quick" he added as an after thought.

Goyle raised his wand to her face and whispered some discernible word. Suddenly Hermione's entire body went rigid. Like she was frozen. Goyle waved his wand in a flurry of motion.

"Hermione!" Luna's scream came from somewhere close in the maze of dungeon, halting Goyle's wand.

"Quick! Run!" Malfoy yelled at the two thugs. Who obeyed orders and ran out of sight into the darkness. Another spell hit Hermione square in the chest and she could feel her limbs immediately start to unfreeze. She leapt up and ran to where she thought she heard Luna's voice.

"Its okay Hermione they can't hurt you now" Luna said as they walked into the Potions classroom. Hermione had quickly found her best friend a few corridors away and had told her what had happened.

"It had all happened so quickly, I was so scared" she whimpered quietly.

"Just keep your head down and you'll be okay" Luna reasoned.

"Why?

"We have Double Potions with Slytherin" Hermione's heart dropped into her stomach. Fear enveloping her. What if they tried to get her again during class? Luna speedily directed them to a table already seating Neville, Seamus, Ron and Harry Potter. In hopes of strength in numbers. Hermione didn't dare look up from her table. Not even when Professor Snape entered did she take her gaze away from the battered wooden table top.

Once Snape finished calling the names in register Hermione finally had the courage to look up. The Slytherin's couldn't do anything to her when a teacher was here. She quickly glanced around the room. The three boys, Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle were sitting on the opposite side of the class, sniggering about something. Draco caught her eye and his smile stayed firmly printed on his face.

Hermione became overcome with rage. She hated him. She hated all of them. At that moment she would have gladly hexed them where they sat. She vowed to herself she'd never again let anyone make her feel how they did. She'd get her revenge.

"You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art of potion-making" Snape began. He spoke in barely more than a whisper, but she caught every word. After he finished his little speech Snape set about putting them into pairs and set them about mixing a simple potion to cure boils. He swept around the room in his black coat looking something like an overgrown bat.

Hermione was paired thankfully with Luna who was quite a whizz with potion making as it seemed. Neville and Seamus weren't quite so lucky, Neville had somehow managed to melt his cauldron into a twisted blob and before the class was over had allowed their potion to seep across the floor burning holes in peoples shoes. "Idiot Boy!" snarled Snape, clearing the spilled potion away with one wave of his wand. "I suppose you added the porcupine quills before taking the cauldron off the fire?"

The only person in class, that lesson, who had managed to avoid reprimanding was Draco Malfoy who seemed to Professor Snape's favourite. This really hammered in the screws for Hermione. More then anything she wanted to get her own back.


End file.
